Patent Application
20240058497
The present invention relates generally to disinfecting and sterilizing door access devices such as door handles and alike that are touched by a user's hand by incorporating into the door access device a source of ultraviolet C self-sterilizing germicidal light.
It is well established that germs from hands are easily communicated to a person's face especially when the hands touch the face several times a minute, as for example the eyes are rubbed, the nose is touched and other times when the hands consciously and unconsciously touch the face.
Since the exposed face is more than any other part of the human body more susceptible to transmitting germs to the body's systems it imperative to maintain as best as possible a germ-free face and hands-free of pathogens which can enter the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc.
The prior art includes UV sanitizing patents that includes Visco et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,140, issued Aug. 15, 1989; Manson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,557, issued Sep. 18, 2001; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,807, issued Feb. 13, 2007; Sassoon, U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,674, issued Apr. 22, 2008; Stropkay et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,742, issued Dec. 2, 2008; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,501, issued Oct. 6, 2009; Zevallos, U.S. Pat. No. 7,716,789, issued May 18, 2010; Balzano, U.S. Pat. No. 8,353,085, issued Jan. 15, 2013; Caron, U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,521, issued Feb. 19, 2013; Bracey, U.S. Pat. No. 9,051,757, issued Jun. 9, 2015; Brennan, U.S. Pat. No. 9,200,771, issued Dec. 1, 2015; Roberts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,376,833, issued Jun. 28, 2016; and Strombeck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 10,422,158, issued Sep. 24, 2019.
While these patents may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide a system to prevent contamination of the face and the implications of transmitting germs to the face.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a system for sanitizing door access devices such as door handles to prevent transmission of pathogens from door handles to a person's hand and subsequently to a person's face.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means to disinfect the door handles for the prevention of pathogens to contact a person and spread disease and other unsanitary conditions.
Another object of the present invention is to utilize LED as a source of ultraviolet C self-sterilizing germicidal light for hand sanitization.
The instant invention provides a rotating UVC LED motor and power transfer to printed circuit board for ultraviolet C self-sterilizing germicidal light to doorknobs, door levers, door pulls and other devices reducing required LEDs by 75%.
Producing a uniform irradiance map for surface decontamination through quartz from inside a device such as our door lever and other devices means that the projection angles of the LEDs will require for example, 24 or more LEDs for some door levers and 36 or more for a door pull.
By utilizing the rotating printed circuit board with LEDs on it we're able to reduce the number of LEDs by ¾ and still achieve the required dosage.
A rotating motor system places a small motor inside of the door lever handle which connects to a power source and the printed circuit boards which make the LEDs function.
The device may be programmed for LEDs to irradiate at any desired time and as well the speed of the motor and rotations may be varied as desired.
Importantly, small motors to achieve this effect are readily available for purchase and implementation and the invention uses the motor and a unique connection to the circuit board and electronics.
If desired, successive firing of the LEDS permits conservative peak amperage demands. For example, a door lever with 6 UVC LEDs requires 4 w/LED or 24 W. By using 2 “strings” of LEDs permits turning-on 3 LEDs at a time then successively the other 3 LEDs. Accordingly, only 12 watts are needed at any time and is particularly useful for limiting volume of power needed at any time when using batteries as the source.
Invention provides a method for obtaining a ‘frosted’ or “milky” appearance to quartz using a clear factory quartz product and then modifying it with engraving. “Milky” quartz is currently available however sizes are limited and it's expensive and the method allows a logo to be present on our ‘milky’ quartz. The resultant product is both aesthetic in that it appears pleasing. As well, the milky or frosted surface conceals the internal electronics of the device so that it doesn't appear “robotic.” Engraving is inexpensive and allows us to use most any custom size with rapid frosted appearance easily and economically achievable. This method also enables a type of “echoing” wherein even a single LED UVC chip may be enabled to irradiate the entire surface of the door lever by internally ‘bouncing’ from refraction created by the milky or frosted surface. The ‘echoing’ then allows a reduction in the amount of LED UVC chips need to achieve sterilization of the quartz surface and accomplishes a major reduction in amperage needed to power the device and as well results in a significant cost reduction.
Provided is a wall wort recharging system for batteries for ultraviolet C sterilizing germicidal light door accessories such as door levers, door push/pull devices etc. Our previous patents reference batteries as power source for the devices. Our power-transfer systems allow for power without batteries. Our wall wort 9 v (and other voltages) plug-in jack allows for rapidly recharging batteries without physical removal of batteries. The within described wall wort system can also be used as easier than AC hard-wiring yet a quick and easy install that can be made permanent without our snap-together DC track systems.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent when considered in combination with the accompanying drawing figures, which illustrate certain preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should, however, be noted that the accompanying drawing figures are intended to illustrate only select preferred embodiments of the claimed invention and are not intended as a means for defining the limits and scope of the invention.
In the drawing figures, wherein similar features are denoted with similar reference numerals throughout the several views:
Turning now, in detail, to the accompanying drawing figures,
While only several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/032551 | 6/7/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63197576 | Jun 2021 | US |
